Jon’s Creator Showcase, August Edition, the final post!

Hi everyone! It’s the end of August, and after a full month of reading posts, we have reached the final and I guess what everyone was waiting for! First off I have to say that I already knew we have some talented people on WordPress, but after this month I am impressed even more. That said, I have had an enormous amount of entries to process, and that made making the decision to see who was going to be featured in this final post incredibly hard. Even if your post hasn’t made it here, just know that it’s only because it would be impossible for me to have every entry featured (that would mean a post of maybe more than ten thousand words, not exactly fun to read anymore). But rest assured everyone who entered a post this month totally showed their A-game. So, before we start let’s first see again what the showcase is all about. And let’s not forget to thank Jon who started this whole project in the first place!

The Goals:

Give exposure to both the host & creators who submit content to the showcase.

Highlight a wide variety of content including written word, art, video, audio, etc…

Allow for all creators, regardless of skill or current recognition, to participate and share their creations.

Encourage involvement from creators across all platforms.

Offer a fun and interactive way for people to discover new and interesting creations.

Inspire growth and exploration for both the host and creators.

This project has really grown into something incredible, and it’s truly amazing to see how much everyone has embraced it. Next month the Creator Showcase will be hosted by Fueledbysmiling so everyone look forward to that!. Now, let’s get to the good stuff! I decided to feature twenty posts in total here, and trust me, it was a really, really tough challenge to select the ones to be featured here. I have purposefully decided to mix things up here instead of just categorising them, as they simply all deserve a read! So..withou further ado, let’s get started.

1. I think it’s very safe to say, that we all have trouble with blogging at times. As much fun as it is (and let’s face it, we all would not be here if it wasn’t), there are times when you just wonder why you do it in the first place. Your stats might be dropping, or you find other reasons to just make it harder for you. Arthifis has written a fantastic post for this subject, while at the same time motivating us all to keep going at it. Truly a post that everyone, new bloggers or veterans alike, should read.

2. We all live in different parts of the world, and not everyone might have as much access to anime, as some other people do. So, that’s where Scott’s post comes in. It offers some great help in finding some new, and free streaming sites, that not everyone might have yet heard from. I for one hardly knew any of them and I think that anyone who loves anime and has trouble finding where to watch it, should truly check out this amazing post!

3. Ah…nostalgia! I think everyone, well at the very least pretty much all of you, has at some point or another encountered video games. And as in most things, there will be games that you truly loved, and others that you truly hated. TheWellredmage has put together an absolutely amazing list of games that should contain something for everyone. I loved the amount of work and love that was put into this list, and it really brought back some great memories for me, from the time when I played videogames. This is truly a wonderful post, which everyone that has some love for videogames, should check out.

4. Speaking of computergames, Bioshock was a gameseries that back in the day I enjoyed quite a lot. In fact Bioshock Infinite was one of the final games I played before I quit gaming. Now, I did not choose Red Metal’s post on it, because I loved the game. No, I chose it because it’s one of the most comprehensive, well researched and quite frankly best reviews I have ever read on a game. Period. The amount of details and background this post has is absolutely astounding, and it really shows of the talent that this blogger has.

5. Now, for those of you that know me, you know that I pretty much have no blogging schedule whatsoever. With my job it would just add to much pressure, and I know that I would not be able to stick to it anyway. But I also know that a lot of you do love to keep order, statistics and stuff like that and that’s where Kaleena’s fantastic post comes in. It offers free and easy to use spreadsheets to keep track of your blogging schedule, books you have read, and statistics on them. While it focusses on books, they can be adapted to be used for pretty much anything and I really think this will be a great help to a lot of you out there!

6. Writing a review for something is hard. As my own blog mainly deals with reviews, I think I can safely say that the hardest thing about reviews is making it a good read and at the same provide the reader with what to expect from whatever you are reviewing. The Bookish chick wrote a review for the novel Girl made of Stars, that almost read like a book. It really was that good. This novel deals with some very tough subjects, but the way she presents her review for it, and her writing style is just very engaging. So, go ahead and check it out already!

7. Sometimes a blogger surprises you, and then there are bloggers that always surprise you. We all know Irina from her terrific posts about anime, but this is an entirely different post than that we are used to from her. It is a review for a book and a very well written review at that. This was an important post for her, and it shows, as it really has a lot of heart in it. At the end of the post she asks us: “ So, how did I do for a first time?” (As this is her first book review). Really? Did she even have to ask?

8. There are a lot of wonderful places to visit in the world, and a lot that also contain a very rich history. The way to discover these places is by reading up on them. Pictures work well too of course. So why not combine the both of them and make it even more engaging? Fraggle does just that, by giving us a post that describes in great detail (and also with a touch of wonderful humor) the history of St. Albans Cathedral. The finishing touch however is provided by her incredible photography skills. I so want to head over there now!

9. So, we almost did not get this post because Lethargic Ramblings was convinced he did not write anything worth showcasing. Luckily both Jon and myself managed to persuade him to enter this one as it’s totally terrific. I don’t listen to music much anymore these days, but this post brings us a genre of music that I myself had never heard of. Even though I admitted that I don’t really care for this style, it’s still a post that is a truly engaging read, and a it shows that a lot of time and effort went into creating this post. And who knows? It might even introduce you to a style of music that you end up liking very much!

10. As much fun as gaming can be, there are times when it can have a negative effect on some people. And it becomes even worse when people get hurt in the process. Leave it up to Lina to once again provide us with a post that touches upon a subject that has been the source of debate for a long time. And write a post that is not only very well written, which should not really be a real surprise anymore, but it also provides us with a lot of food for thought in the process.

11. So you know that old saying, “you can’t judge a book by it’s cover?” That is so true. I guess we have all been tempted once in a while by a beautiful cover on a novel and went out to buy, without even knowing what the book is about. Which is why Charvi wrote a post about why it’s so important for a book to have a blurb. You know one of those things that just provide a short synopsis of what a book is about. She writes a convincing, and also quite funny post about it, and I really had a blast reading this one.

12. More and more people are (luckily) discovering the world of K-dramas. It’s a truly fantastic world to enter as well, as it contains something for everyone. Even though my own love for these dramas is well known, that’s not the reason that I have included Sumedha’s post on the Korean drama series While you were sleeping. No, I have decided to feature this one on the showcase because it really is more than just a review. It offers us things about the story itself, the characters, but also points out plotholes and even includes some music clips. All in all, it’s a very fun, and just great read.

13. Okay, officially I should not have allowed this entry, as it’s a post that was published on the 1st of August, and thus is not from July. As we are talking about only one day, and considering the fact that it’s such a good post I decided to include CuriouslyDeadCat’s post anyway. It shows exactly what blogging is all about, by taking advice from fellow blogger Arthifis, the original post is taken one step further. It provides us with a gread read on why it’s so important to be yourself on your blog, and CuriouslyDeadCat’s own take on that. I love the fact that it’s one of those posts that really make you think, while at the same time letting you grow as blogger.

14. I think that one of the best things in this world is a good friendship. And I don’t think anyone would ever disagree with that (and the ones that do, probably have no heart lol). Mel wrote a truly beautiful post about the (broken) friendship between Fushimi and Yate from the manga Lost Small World which is part of the K-Project. I havent’ read the manga myself, nor have I seen the anime, but after having read this, I truly regret that. It’s a powerful post, and one that totally explores a lot of the facets that truly define the words friendship.

15. We all know that reading books is fun. But how much more fun is reading books with other people! We all know about Watch-a-longs, but Read-a-thon’s is something that I haven’t heard much of. Leave it up to the wonderful Nicole to start up a read-a-thon for a whopping 41 book series by author Terry Pratchett. This is the first review for that book, and as usual it is expertly written with the trademark humor Nicole is famous for. I liked the entire idea behind this read-a-thon as it’s another great example of how much fun blogging can be, when you are joined by other people. And the great thing is: you can still join in at any time for this one!

16. Sometimes you just need a fun post to read as well, and this is certainly one of them. Magicconan14 (Aria) gives us, as the title suggests an Assortment of Confusing Manga Titles. And they are confusing indeed: what do you think about: Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction??? Confused yet?? I really enjoyed reading this one, and had a blast to make sense of some of the titles. (And totally failing of course) But let’s not forget to say that this post was put together really well!

17. Movies can be very powerful things. Whether they are animated or live-action, they can often evoke emotional responses that are just as strong as the ones you have in real life. Ayano gives us an amazing post about a film, that because of this post I very much want to see. Her writing is able to strike a chord that immediately gives the reader a very vivid picture of what this film is all about. Which apparently is take you on an emotional rollercoaster. And when a post is already able to give you that feeling, I guess that really tells you a lot about the skill with which this post was written.

18. Sometimes it is hard to get in anime series when it’s been running for a while. Especially when it has had multiple seasons/versions. As is well known by those of you that know me, I haven’t had a good track record of keeping up with anime, and the Wixoss series is one of those shows that I have been wanting to check out for a while now. Leave it up to Jon (yes THAT Jon) to write a post that not only reviews the latest incarnation, but also gives us a great overview of the entire franchise as whole. This fantastic post is a great starting point for anyone who ever wanted to start with this series.

19. One of the more popular genres in books these days is the Young Adult (YA) genre. But as is quite common when things are popular, there are also people that when it tries to take things into a perfectly natural direction, they seem determined to find it morally objectionable. Amber’s wonderful post gives us a clear and wonderful depiction of why it’s perfectly normal to have things like cursing and sex in these kind of books. I love it when a post tackles a much talked about subject, and isn’t afraid to stand up for it too. Amber’s post simply succeeds on all points!

20. The last post for this month’s showcase, but certainly not the least is written by someone who need no introduction: Karandi. In this post, Karandi let’s us know exactly how to raise your blog, and care for it. It might sound strange, but for many of us, myself included, our blogs are very important to us. Just like a pet, it needs care, and loving to keep it going. This wonderful post that should be read by everyone that has a blog, or is considering to maybe start one. It really is a truly terrific read, that let’s us know that blogging is hard work…and I guess in a roundabout way, looking a the first post in this feature, that brings us full circle.

If you have made it down to the end: thank you so much for being with me troughout this post! I have had enormous fun putting it together and I hope that you will enjoy checking all of these posts out!

I absolutely loved it! I truly meant what I wrote here: it was an amazing post! I can definitely see how much time you spent on this: so, really it was well worth it to read it! It totally deserves to be featured here 😊😊

Thanks so much for putting this together. There are definitely a few posts here I missed from bloggers I follow and a number from bloggers I haven’t visited before so now I’m really keen to check them out. Also, thanks for including my post.

You are very welcome. Even though it was a lot of work, I have enjoyed every minute of putting it together, and of course reading all the amazing posts. I wish I could have featured them all…but that would have meant a post so long that WordPress probably would have exploded lol 😂😂 And again: Of course you are totally welcome! Your post totally deserves to be in here. It was amazing! 😊

Thanks for including my post. This really showcases the diversity of bloggers you’re part of the community for, which definitely fits in with the goals of the Showcase, and to be honest, I look forward to these every month because there’s always such a good selection of posts.

Your post was a lot of fun, so it was a total no brainer to include it. Trust me there were so many good posts this month, it was incredibly hard to make a good selection. But I totally agree, this project is always fun, and I hope it will never die out. It’s one that I always look forward to myself as well 😊😊

“everyone knows about a watch a long”…… 😂😂🤔🤔 DO THEY?? Ha ha! Great post!! 💖💖Some of my favourite people on this list, and some new faces I’ll defintitely have to check out! (especially the 111 favourite games and the K-Drama post! 💖💖)

Haha….Yeah they do lol 😊😊 Erm…*with less enthuisiasm* “yeah they do…..😳😳😅😅
I love it that as always you give credit to everyone else, besides your own post! You deserve to be in this one just as much you know! ❤️
But it really was a lot of fun to put this post together. And there were some totally awesome entries. Hope you will enjoy the read of all the other posts too 😊😊😊❤️

Wow! First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to put this showcase together. I definitely have my reading cut out for me this weekend to read all the other bloggers posts! And second, thank you so much for not only including my blog and review but your kind words about it also. It truly means a lot to me!

Aww, thank you so much for the kind words. Really appreciate it! It was a lot of fun to put this post together, and your post was really amazing to read, so it deserves every single word that I wrote for it, as well as totally being featured here. So really the credit is all for you 😊😊

Lol…well…joke all you want 😂😂 Trust me, this post had every right to be in here. You already knew I loved it when I first read it, so….yeah: it really was an absolute great read. (hmm…the check just bounced….😂😂😂).

Thank so much for your kindness. Honestly I was pretty stressed out when this first started wondering if I could do it. But it was really a lot of fun to put it together and see the creativity of everyone. So, really thank you again for the amazing support 😊❤️❤️

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for including my blogging scheduler and templates post! I am so glad that it has helped so many people and I am already tinkering for ways to make it even better in 2019. There are quite a lot of posts here I haven’t seen, so I am off for a deep dive!

Haha: you are so welcome!! It was a terrific post, and I know it will be useful to a lot of people out there!. Hopefully you will enjoy the other posts as well, and thanks for entering this. It was a pleasure to read 😊😊

Aww, thank you so much for the kind words 😊😊 I really appreciate it. Yes it really was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun to do. And there were so many great posts, it was pretty much a total shame to not be able to feature them all 😊

Oh snap, the variety is pretty amazing. Nice to see how much participation this feature gathered, and how awesome it is to redirect all of us towards peepz we might not have known till today! Thanks for sharing, Michel!

Thank you so much Didi. It really was a fun showcase, and there were so many people that entered and had amazing posts. It was hard to choose. But…the Terry Pratchett post was totally amazing, and it just had to include. Glad to hear that you enjoyed joining it. If I would have had a little bit more time, I would have entered it myself 😊😊

Haha…there were amazing posts this month, and really there were still loads more that could have been featured but weren’t. So had to leave quite a few of them out. But..that said! Duhh…of course your post had to be included: it was totally awesome 😊😊And of course you are very welcome 😀😊

Well done on keeping this project alive. Curating all the entries must have been a lot of work. Some of these posts I have actually already read, as I follow those sites.

Blogging is certainly tough. I think I am done with posting new content. Lately I have lost the motivation to write and it shows with my site stats plummeting. For now I’ll just stick to commenting on people’s work and reblogging stuff until my batteries recharge.

Lots of gaming posts got featured here. The hobby is very popular, but like someone pointed out there are negatives. I cannot believe someone would go to a Madden tournament with a laser sighted gun 😦

It’s been an amazing amount of work. The hardest thing to do was not trying to miss posts on twitter, and I still think I missed a few. But despite the work…it really has been really a lot of fun as well.
I’m really sorry to hear you have lost the motivation to write. As you know I absolutely love your blog and posts. One thing you shouldn’t do is worry about the stats. We all experience slumps. I haven’t been as active lately either (but that is hopefully going to change later in the month). But is however a good idea to just take some time to recharge the batteries. Sometimes that works wonders. I hope you can find you energy back, as I would really feel sad if you would stop blogging. You take care okay??😊
As for gaming negatives..yes there certainly are negatives..though I have to wonder if that’s really gaming or the indivuals themselves.😢

"Consider, can the universe be justifiably called infinite? Doubtful. It may not have a discernible end, but it had a beginning and its component parts definitely have a limited cosmological shelf-life. Splitting hairs or not, if history tells us anything, it's that scientists often make very poor poets. We're all just a ship of fools chasing phantoms, heedless of what really underwrites natural law." - Okabe Rintaro